The Space Between
by JewelSonata
Summary: A series of 4 one shots featuring Zoro and Nami. A look into the life of Zoro and Nami as friends and lovers during their journey through the Grand Line as members of the Straw Hat Pirate Crew and beyond. Rated M for language and mature themes.
1. Chapter 1

**The Space Between**

Summary: Episode One of a series of 4 oneshots featuring Zoro and Nami. A look into the life of Zoro and Nami as friends and lovers as members of the Straw Hat Pirate Crew and beyond. Rated M for language and mature themes. Contains lemon.

Disclaimer: I do not own _One Piece_ or any of its characters, places, plots and other ideas. Such claim belongs to the one and only Eiichiro Oda.

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 **The Space Between Twilight and Dawn**

With a gentle rustling of sheets that she pulled to her bare chest, Nami leaned back against the headboard and looked down towards the other occupant of the bed. Zoro, snoring softly, was sleeping on her bed on the Sunny, her blanket precariously low on his hips. Nami hugged her knees to her chest and pressed her left cheek to her knees, turning her head right towards the swordsman. Zoro was lying on his side with his knees slightly bent and his arms still reaching out for her protectively even his sleep. Her eyes took in his strong jaws, a tiny frown that creased between his eyebrows, the green hair that Sanji-kun always made fun of, and the long slash across his left eye.

As Nami traced each of these features softly illuminated in the early morning light, almost making the demon look angelic and impossibly young, her mind drifted to the fateful event that led them to their current predicament.

It was three years ago before the Straw Hat pirates were separated. Even before then, Nami always knew that there was inexplicable electricity – a mystifying magnetism that even the brilliant navigator couldn't figure out – between her and the resident swordsman. Sure, she would yell at him whenever he and Sanji-kun caused a ruckus on the deck of the Sunny, punching his head and raising his debt by 150% like she did with everyone else on the crew with the exception of Robin.

But there were always moments, so brief and flitting that she almost thought they were just her imaginations. The moment when their eyes met across the deck of the Sunny as Nami lounged on her beach chair and Zoro snoozed near by. She had always thought he was sleeping but he would crack open an eye and look her way with a ghost of a smirk on his lips when he caught her staring at him over the edge of her magazine. She would blush without knowing why and quickly turn a page of her magazine while he returned to his nap. The moment when she tripped on a bit of ice when they were on a winter island and he caught her by her hand before she could hit the ground, grumbling at how she couldn't even walk properly. The moment when she got a concussion during a storm, hitting her head against the mast and he carried her to the infirmary and set her down on the bed with a surprising gentleness that she didn't know he possessed, all the while complaining about how heavy she was. She raised his debt for that comment, by the way. The moment when he caught her wrist before she could punch his head for disturbing her peace with his fight with Sanji-kun and his thumb brushed against her pulse on her inner wrist. She jerked her hand free in surprise, flushed red – not in anger but embarrassment – as her heart raced. Zoro merely smirked and called her a pain-in-the-ass, violent witch.

But it wasn't until just about two weeks before they were set to arrive at the Red Line and Sabaody Archipelago that she felt her dangerous attraction grow into something else. The Straw Hat pirates had stopped at a small island for a quick supply run. Nami assigned Sanji-kun, Luffy, Franky, and Brook to food supplies while Robin and Chopper went to a local bookstore and apothecary. Zoro took off to the nearest bar before Nami could stop him, leaving her and Usopp to guard the ship. She sighed and turned back towards her room to work on her map before the rest of the crew came back, waving Usopp off when he tried to get her to listen to his latest tale of the Great Captain Usopp.

Immersed in her work, Nami didn't realize how much time had gone by until she heard Usopp yell, "Nami, run!" and the sound of heavy boots hitting the deck of the Sunny. She yanked the door open just in time to see Usopp fall to the ground, blood beginning to seep through his overalls from a nasty gash on his back. The setting sun highlighted the pool of blood that seemed to grow bigger even in that short time Nami stood aghast in the threshold of her room. She looked around in horror as she realized that a dozen or so bounty hunters had snuck on board the Sunny. She turned and ran towards the stern of the ship, ducking under an arm and twisting away from grabbing hands. A body slammed into her from the right, throwing her into the railing. Adrenaline and her instinct for survival kicked in, and ignoring the pain on her left torso, she managed to grab her Clima Tact. She screamed, "Get away from me, you ugly bastard! Thunderbolt Tempo!"

At that moment in the brilliant flash of lightening, Zoro – who came back early because the bar was closed – saw Nami surrounded by burly men carrying weapons of various sizes, all deadly and all pointed towards their navigator. Quicker than eyes could follow, Zoro unsheathed Shusui and stood in front of Nami, blocking what could have been a fatal blow from the attacker's wicked looking scythe. The look in Zoro's eyes as he stood in front of her and turned his head to the side to check if she was okay – an unbreakable wall of muscle and will to protect – sent shivers down Nami's spine. His intent to kill rolled off of him in waves, making her heart twist in fear. The easy, confident smirk that usually graced his features when he faced his opponents was nonexistent as he wordlessly snarled at her attacker.

"Get the fuck away from her, you bastard."

The attacker tried to backpedal but Zoro was quicker. With a pained scream, he lost his right arm that had been holding the scythe, warm blooding gushing out of the stump that had been his arm and onto the pristine deck of the Sunny. Without missing a beat, Zoro slashed left and right, working through the dozen of bounty hunters in less than a minute who all fell with dull thuds as they hit the deck.

Zoro flicked the blood off Shusui and sheathed the sword. He took a step towards Nami, the demonic look gone from his eyes as he frowned and scanned her for injuries. Nami let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding and gasped, "Usopp!" and rushed to Usopp's side.

Usopp was lying on his side, groaning in pain, as Nami kneeled at his side.

"Nami?" Usopp groaned.

"Yeah. I'm okay," Nami answered his unasked question.

"'S good" and Usopp finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

Zoro came to their side and asked, "How is he?"

Nami looked over her shoulder at Zoro, "He's okay. Nothing that Chopper can't fix. Can you carry him to the infirmary?" Without a word, Zoro scooped Usopp from the ground while Nami trailed behind him. She glanced around and noticed all the bodies were gone.

"What did you do to those bounty hunters?" Nami asked.

"Huh? I kicked them off the ship. They could just fucking drown for all I care," replied Zoro, almost casually but for an edge of pure hatred in his voice.

"Oh…" said Nami, not knowing what else to say. She opened the door to the infirmary to let Zoro in.

"He passed out," said Zoro, looking at the sniper's pale face. "But he stopped bleeding. Chopper should be able to fix him easily enough."

Nami nodded and leaned forward to pull up the thin sheets. Without a warning, a sharp pain tore through the middle that stole her breath. She let out a gasp and felt the room tilt alarmingly, the edges of her vision going black. But she managed to keep her feet, swaying dangerously but standing upright all the same.

"Oi! Nami! What's wrong?" Zoro's arm shot out as she fell forward. As Zoro caught her across her stomach, Nami let out an anguished scream.

"Fuck!" Zoro swore as he slowly let Nami down in a sitting position against the wall. He lifted her shirt as Nami closed her eyes and focused on her breathing.

"What is it? How bad?" Nami asked.

Zoro looked at the ugly purple and blue bruises that covered the entire left side of her torso. Her flawless white skin only served to highlight the ugliness of her injury.

"Those fucking bastards," he growled, as his large hand carefully traced the bruise.

"Zoro...? What...?" asked Nami, starting to lose her consciousness against the pain.

"You broke your ribs," said Zoro factually, not bothering to soften the blow.

"Owww. It hurts. I must've hit the railing pretty hard," moaned Nami.

"Just hold on. I'm gonna go find Chopper," said Zoro.

"No!" cried Nami, wincing in pain as she made to grab his arm to prevent him from leaving. "You'll just get lost."

"Damn it witch, I don't get lost! Besides, you need Chopper!"

"I'll be fine. Just stay... Please?"

Zoro stared at her small form leaning against the wall, her eyes wide with pain that were begging him to stay. Her orange hair that was usually so well kept was mussed, her sweat making it stick to her face. Zoro knew she was a strong woman, full of spunk and life, but at that moment, he could see the traces of a child that she used to be.

With a sigh, he shifted so that they were sitting side by side against the wall.

"Thank you," whispered Nami.

Zoro grunted in response, letting Nami lean against his shoulder. Zoro looked down and caught a sight of her hands, just a few inches from his own. Without knowing what came over him, Zoro moved his hand, crossing those few inches of space towards hers, letting his hand cover her small one.

As Nami watched Zoro's hand move closer to her own, his fingers brushing against hers, she felt a pleasant shiver from the tips of her fingers down to her toes. She looked up from his shoulder and said, "Thank you."

"You already said that, witch," Zoro replied.

"Stupid swordsman… I'm thanking you for saving me, you idiot," Nami said, the pain in her ribs finally overtaking her.

"Tsk. It's fine. Go to sleep," Zoro said in his brusque way. But by then, Nami had already fallen into unconsciousness.

As Zoro took note of her even breathing, he said into the emptiness, "Sorry I wasn't there earlier…"

When Chopper and others came back to the Sunny a few hours later, they flew into a rage and worry in a true Straw Hat style. Luffy threatened to jump into the ocean and reviving all the bounty hunters just so that he could beat them up again. It was only when Robin coolly reminded him that he was a hammer and he would surely drown that Luffy calmed down, although still steaming about the fact that he wasn't there for the fight. Franky threw a fit when he discovered the broken railing and the blood stains on the deck, lamenting that it would take forever to get it out. Sanji kicked fiercely at Zoro when he caught Nami leaning against Zoro with her shirt pulled off half way, revealing her injury and midriff.

"You shitty marimo! What did you do to her?" yelled Sanji as his dress shoe came crashing against his arm that was not being used to hold up Nami.

"You asshole! I didn't do anything, you stupid ero-cook!" said Zoro. Ignoring the stupid curly-brow, he turned to Chopper.

"I think she broke her ribs and Usopp was attacked from the back. He lost some blood but it didn't look too bad," Zoro reported to the doctor.

"Yeah, I just checked Usopp's wound. It's nasty but I stitched it up. He'll probably have a scar but this is the best I can do," replied Chopper.

"Knowing Usopp, he would probably turn that scar into some insane story about defeating an army of Sea Monsters with his pinky toe or something," said Sanji as he lit a cigarette, still glaring at Zoro. Chopper turned to Nami, "Zoro, can you hold her upright? She just bruised her ribs thankfully but I need to wrap bandages around her torso."

Instead of replying, he carefully shifted and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, being mindful of her head so that she was sitting upright. With a pained groan, she opened her eyes.

"Zoro…? What's going on?" asked Nami.

"Nami! You're awake," cried Chopper while Sanji fussed in the background. "Nami-swan! Does it hurt a lot? I'll make you the most delicious tangerine cake while you're recuperating. I hope those shitty bastards rot at the bottom of the ocean for hurting my precious Nami-swan! Oi, marimo, get away from her, you shitty bastard!"

"Ugh Sanji-kun, thank you but not now," said Nami with a wince as Zoro gave the stupid cook a nasty glare from her side. It was only Nami's command and her obviously being in pain that Sanji held back from kicking his foot through Zoro's skull.

"Nami, I'm going to wrap some bandages around your torso. It's going to hurt but bear with me. Okay?" said Chopper.

"Uh huh. Okay," said Nami, gritting her teeth against the pain that already threatened to engulf her.

As Chopper began to wrap rolls and rolls of bandages around her torso, she couldn't help but let out a whimper and grabbed tighter onto Zoro's shoulder. Nami cried out in pain when Chopper tightened the bandages, nearly passing out again.

"Sorry, Nami. I'm almost done… Just a bit more… There! You'll need to take it easy for the next few days. At least, I don't have to worry about you disobeying doctor's orders, unlike _some_ people I know," said Chopper as he gave Zoro a meaningful glare.

"Thanks Chopper. You're the best," said Nami to which the little reindeer danced around his infirmary, calling them bastards and that he wasn't happy at all. Zoro merely shrugged at Chopper's antics and scooped Nami off the ground of the infirmary.

"Eeek! What are you doing, you stupid swordsman? Unhand me!" cried Nami.

"Tsk, just shut up. I'm taking you to your room," said Zoro.

When he opened the door, a barrage of rubber, skeleton, and cyborg came flying towards them asking if Nami was okay. Nami sheepishly told them that she bruised her ribs but she was totally fine. Robin fell into step beside Zoro as he made towards the girls' room, a look of concern on her delicate features. Robin held the door open as Zoro carefully set Nami down on the bed and turned to leave.

"Thank you, Zoro-san," said Robin sincerely.

Without saying a word, Zoro closed the door behind him leaving Nami and Robin to themselves.

None of the Straw Hat pirates saw Nami for the next few days with the exception of Robin and Chopper. Navigating the Sunny fell on Franky and Sanji who were more knowledgeable about the sea with the help of Nami's log pose that they borrowed for the time being. They managed to sail without trouble for the few days that Nami spent in her room recuperating from her injury.

Really, it was nothing compared to some of the injuries that Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji-kun or even Usopp usually get after a big fight but it did hurt like hell. So she kept to herself and Robin kept her company with an occasional visit from Chopper. But by the end of the week, she was beginning to go crazy from boredom. When Chopper gave her the okay to venture outside, she was ecstatic. Thankfully it was a nice warm day and she chose a spot by her beloved mikan trees to soak up the sun. She breathed in deeply, the smell of grass on the deck below, the salty breeze of the sea relaxing her more than a week-long bed rest ever could. Her first day back as the navigator of the Sunny was uneventful. It still hurt a bit to move around too much, so she sat on the bench at the helm and gave directions to Franky.

But throughout the day, Nami couldn't help but feel a pair of eyes that kept following her as she moved about the ship. Nami turned around and gave Zoro an exasperated look that said, _I'm fine! Will you get off my case already?_ To which, Zoro would shrug and continue to watch her. In the end she just gave up, throwing up her hands in despair and muttering about a stupid swordsman under her breath.

When Nami fell into her bed that night, it was with a smile on her lips, relishing in the happiness and comfort that being with her nakama brought. She fell asleep thinking of their next adventure, charting the safest and fastest course towards Sabaody Archipelago in her head.

A few hours later, Nami jerked awake, her body drenched in sweat and her eyes wide in fear. Her heart thumped loudly in her head and every thump accentuated the images of the bounty hunters chasing her that day. Except in her dreams, Zoro didn't get to her in time and the scythe struck her deep in the stomach unfailingly, blood rushing out of the gaping hole in her stomach. She took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. _It's okay, I'm fine. I'm on the Sunny surrounded by my nakama._ She repeated the words to herself like a mantra or a magic spell. She fell back to bed trying to go back to sleep. She tossed and turned, keeping quiet so that she doesn't wake Robin (she didn't want Robin to wake up and start asking her questions after all), but to no avail. With a frustrated sigh, she slung her bare legs out of bed, grabbed a light cardigan and headed out of the room.

It was new moon and Nami could barely make out the shapes on the deck of the Sunny in the darkness. She checked the clock on the wall and realized that Zoro was on watch – the last watch of the night. She hesitated a bit, thinking about how his eyes followed her throughout the day as if he was just waiting for her to faint or something. The thought made her huff in annoyance and with a purpose to her stride, Nami headed for the crow's nest, frowning when she noticed no lights shining through the windows. She winced when she stretched her arm to climb the ladder, pulling her abdominal muscle and her injured ribs. When she made it to the top, it was with no small amount of relief since her ribs were beginning to really hurt.

When she entered the crow's nest, she couldn't see anything at first.

"What are you doing here?" came Zoro's gruff voice from somewhere behind her, cutting the silence like one his swords.

Nami jumped in surprise, turned around and raised her arms automatically to punch his head. Zoro simply evaded her punch and asked again, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Nami scrowled and replied, "Why do you care? It's none of your business when I go to bed."

"Fine. Whatever." Zoro brushed past her and sat down on the bench that encircled the crow's nest, looking down into the endless ocean and the horizon.

"Why are you sitting in the dark anyways?" asked Nami as she felt her way around the room, her eyes not having adjusted to the darkness quite yet. She sat down next to him and turned her eyes to the ocean as well.

What she saw took her breath away. The darkness brought out the brightness of hundreds and thousands of stars in the sky. Their brilliance was reflected in the ocean below, a black glass that stretched on and on in all directions that intensified the glittering stars above.

"Wow…" Nami gasped, forgetting for a moment that Zoro was sitting next to her. They didn't speak for a long time, just staring out into the vastness of the sea and sky, each reveling in its beauty.

Zoro slowly turned his attention to the feisty redhead that was sitting next to him. He took in her slim legs, her white tank top, and a yellow cardigan wrapped loosely around her shoulders. Just as he was staring, she shifted and her cardigan fell from her left shoulder, baring her white skin. He vaguely wondered how her skin would feel under his calloused hands, remember how small her hands had been when he held her hand in the infirmary. Nami, realizing that he was staring at her again, rounded on him and asked exasperatedly, "What?"

Zoro didn't say anything for a while and with a sigh, Nami asked again, "What? Why are you staring at me? I should charge you for staring at such a beauty as myself, you stupid swordsman."

"Don't even joke about that, you witch. I owe you more than enough," said Zoro with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Are you okay, Nami?" asked Zoro, all hints of previous amusement gone from his voice.

Nami was so surprised to hear Zoro say her name that she momentarily forgot what he had asked. He had always called her witch or woman preceded by a string of expletives. But hearing him say her name... wasn't a bad sort of surprise. She liked how her name sounded in his deep voice, sending a slight shiver down her spine.

"Huh? Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I don't need you to worry about me anyways," said Nami with bravado, baiting him into an argument. She expected him to be affronted at the accusation of him – Zoro the next greatest swordsman in the world – would be worried about a girl; the girl being Nami no less – a witch who had managed to bankrupt him for the next ten or twenty years of his life.

But he didn't say any of these things.

Instead he scooted closer to her, peering into her face. Then without warning, Zoro lifted her shirt slightly and saw the purple bruises that were fading into greenish yellow remnants of her injuries. At Zoro's sudden movement, Nami let out a yelp of surprise and leaned back away from Zoro. Her hands missed the bench completely because of the curve of the bench that followed the circular shape of the crow's nest. She instinctively squeezed her eyes and waited for the impact of her body hitting the floor. But it never came. She cracked open her eyes and saw Zoro smirking at her, his right arm encircling her waist.

"Tsk. Do I have to save you every time?" he said.

"You asshole! If you hadn't surprised me like that, I wouldn't have fallen in the first place, you stupid, directionally-challenged swordsman!" Nami yelled at him, her hands punching and pushing at him.

With his left hand, he caught her slim wrist and pinned it to the wall behind her. "Shut up, you witch! You'll wake the others," hissed Zoro leaning in against her to keep her from flailing again.

"Oh… Right, sorry," said Nami sheepishly. Suddenly she realize how close Zoro's face was, just inches away from hers. So close that she could see specks of green and black in his grey eyes. All of a sudden, the inevitable pull of their attraction that was kept hidden under the pretense of heated yelling matches and violent punches in the past came sizzling to the surface, and they both felt it. The air practically cackled with… something. Nami couldn't even begin to describe what this "something" was but it was definitely there.

In the brilliant starlight, Nami saw Zoro's eyes soften a bit, his frown lines lessen and his lips quirked in a lopsided smile as he drew even closer, his nose brushing against hers.

"I'm going to kiss you, Nami," Zoro whispered.

"Okay, but it's going to cost you," Nami replied, barely aware of what she was saying.

"I don't care," mumbled Zoro as his lips sealed over hers.

 _His kiss is like the rest of him_ , thought Nami vaguely: unhesitating and bold. Zoro's lips firmly worked against her and when his tongue ran along the seam of her lips, she willingly opened her mouth to let him in. When his tongue touched hers without hesitation, both Nami and Zoro felt an electrifying shock that went through them. With a groan, Zoro let go her wrist and pulled her closer into his lap, deepening the kiss. As they kissed on and on, Zoro's hand began to wander, sliding up and down her arms, into her hair and down her back, around to her front. But when his right hand brushed against her left ribs, she cried out in pain, breaking away from the kiss.

"Oww, that hurts," groaned Nami.

"Shit, sorry. Are you okay?" said Zoro as he let her go quickly.

"It's okay. You just caught me by surprise, that's all," Nami said, brushing off his comment.

He was looking at her with a slight frown, unable to conceal his worry.

"Just kiss me already," said Nami as she grabbed the front of his shirt and molded herself against him, ignoring the dull ache of her ribs. This time, it was Nami who invaded his mouth, skillfully wrapping her tongue around his. When Nami ran out of breath, she finally broke away from the kiss. Zoro grabbed Nami's short hair at the base of her neck and pulled gently, revealing a column of creamy neck that he began to kiss and nip.

"Don't leave a mark," whispered Nami.

"I won't," mumbled Zoro against her skin, continuing his trail of kisses down her neck. Zoro returned to her face and began to shower kisses along her jaw, ending with a playful nip at her right earlobe that send a delicious shiver down her spine.

As Zoro sprinkled her neck and shoulders with love bites and kisses, his hand once again made its way to Nami's front. This time being careful to not touch her injured ribs, his large hand settled on to her breast. Nami moaned softly when Zoro's hand unintentionally brushed her nipple, teasing it to harden against her tank top.

"Fuck, Nami…" groaned Zoro when he felt her breast fit perfectly into hands. Unable to wait any longer, Zoro pulled away for a moment and simply tore the offending garment off her body.

Nami gasped in surprise as the cool night air hit her bare breasts while Zoro stared down at her shivering form in awe. The starlight made her pearly skin glow, flawless perfection except for the ugly bruise covering her left ribs. The stark contrast brought Zoro's raging hormones to an abrupt halt.

"Zoro…?" Nami asked timidly, when she noticed his eyes had gone steely grey and his mouth set in a grim line.

"Shh… Don't talk," said Zoro as he lifted her off the bench and carefully laid her down on the floor of the crow's nest. Nami saw that he was staring at her bruise, a look of intense hatred and concern on his face.

"Zoro, it's okay. I'm fine, really. You've had worse so you should know," said Nami. "And I'm not some weakling who's going to faint at every little cut and bruise," added Nami a bit defensively.

"I killed every single one of those bastards," growled Zoro. "I haven't killed since I joined Luffy but that day, I wanted to kill. No, needed to kill," Zoro continued almost as if he needed to explain something to her. His hands gently stroked her sides and his thumb brushed over her bruises, tracing their pattern. He leaned down and pressed his lips gently to her ribs and mumbled, "I'm sorry I didn't get to you earlier."

"Zoro…"

"I don't know what this is that I'm feeling. But I know one thing for sure. But when I saw that bastard trying to..." Zoro took a deep breath, reining in his anger, "...trying to kill you, I just lost it."

He stared straight into her eyes and said, "You're mine, Nami, and you know it."

He was always so brutally honest and straightforward.

"I know. And you're mine," said Nami with the same honesty and intensity.

"Good," mumbled Zoro and leaned down to kiss her again while his hand returned to her breast. He squeezed her lightly and when she moaned into his kiss, he squeezed a bit harder. Nami broke away from the kiss, panting and moaned his name into the crook of his neck. Zoro kissed her jaw and began making his way down her neck and shoulders. When he reached her breasts, he kissed her ample flesh, licking the underside and kissing the valley between her breasts. When his mouth ventured near the nipple, Nami whimpered urging him to give her what she wanted. He continued to tease her until Nami tugged on his hair and he finally got the hint. When his hot mouth descended on her left nipple while his hand fondled her other breast, Nami let out a loud moan and arched her back. He sucked and bit down lightly on her nipple, pulling it out of his mouth with a wet pop. When the cold air hit her now wet nipple, she shivered in pleasure.

"Are you cold?" asked Zoro.

"No… Just keep going," said Nami in a daze.

Zoro simply smirked and turned his attention to the other nipple, sucking and biting, while his hand pinched and squeezed her other breast, making Nami squirm and moan his name in pleasure. When Zoro finally let her nipple go, Nami felt waves upon waves of intense pleasure, making her weak and her mind hazy. Zoro returned to her face, leaving butterfly kisses on her cheeks, her eyelids, her forehead and her nose.

At the same time, Nami trailed her hand up and down his muscled back, enjoying the feeling of Zoro's hard earned muscle rippling under her touch. When she reached the hem of his t-shirt, she pulled it up over his head. Even in the darkness of the crow's nest, she could see the scars that crisscrossed his front. She knew that their swordsman was a magnet to injuries, but this was the first time she was seeing it up close. As her fingers lightly traced each one that she could see, Zoro's muscles jumped at her touch. When her hands got too close to his left nipple, Zoro's large hands came up to cover hers.

"I can feel your heart," whispered Nami.

His hand squeezed hers in response and threaded his fingers through hers, pulling it away from his chest and pinning it above her head.

"Kiss me," moaned Nami, her lips already pouty and red from their previous kisses.

Zoro's eyes clouded with lust and passion as his lips crashed over hers, his tongue completely dominating her own. In the midst of their kiss, Zoro released her hand and trailed his own hands down to her breasts, giving each breast a firm squeeze and brushed his thumb across each nipple. Nami moaned into the kiss and arched her back, trying to push her breasts further into his hands. Zoro continued to make his way down her body while kissing her, his touches trailing a blaze of fire across her skin.

When his fingers reached the edges of her shorts, Nami raised the bottom helping him take them off. Her nimble fingers danced across his back, sliding lower and lower until she pulled down at his haramaki and his pants. Zoro kicked off his boots with a heavy thunk. He sat kneeling between Nami's knees, kissing his way up her leg starting with her delicate ankles. She giggled as he pressed wet kisses to the sensitive skin behind her knees. She sat up, pushing against his chest and making him fall on his back, his arms still encircled around her waist. Nami straddled him as she kissed his neck, his chest and his stomach, her lips tracing the jagged scar that ran diagonally across his torso from his shoulder to hip. Zoro groaned, his hands tightening against her thighs where he had placed them when she straddled him.

"Nami... If you keep going like that, I won't be able to stop," said Zoro in a harsh whisper, his voice laced with lust.

"Mmm..." mumbled Nami against the crook of his shoulders, her hands ghosting over his arousal. "Maybe I don't want you to."

Suddenly her world somersaulted as Zoro grabbed her around her waist and flipped her over so that she was lying flat on her back, staring up at his eyes that had turned darker than black with lust.

"I hope you know what you're getting into, Nami. You're mine," growled Zoro, staring straight into her eyes.

She felt a thrill go up her spine as he said those words. The pure masculinity and possessiveness of Zoro's claim excited her, her skin tingling in anticipation.

"And you, mine," said Nami, just as confidently.

Zoro smirked and traced her face with his fingers. With his other hand, he hooked a finger under the panties and dragged them down her legs, the musk of her arousal becoming apparent in the air. Then Nami helped his pull down his own underwear, his erection springing free. Zoro in his naked glory was truly a dangerous beauty – his muscles taut with anticipation, raw power and sensuality radiating from his very skin. His dark eyes drank in the sight of Nami's slight form and leaned down, settling between her legs and bracing his arms not to crush her. He caught her lips in a heated kiss that she returned with unchecked passion.

When Nami felt him brush against her sex, she let out a low moan, raising her hips in invitation.

"Zoro, please…"

With a grunt and a slow yet sure movement of his hips, he thrust into her warmth. Nami cried out, her small hands holding his biceps in a vice-like grip. Zoro quickly shifted his attention to her face, surprised by her cry of pain. Her brown eyes were squeezed shut, a tear or two slipping from under her eyelids and leaving a wet trail down her cheeks. Her brows were furrowed in concentration and pain, her breathes coming out in short pants.

"Shit, are you a virgin?" asked Zoro, berating himself for not having even asked before he entered her. But by gods, she was tight; a liquid heaven of heat and tightness unrivaled by anything he had experienced.

Nami, unable to form the words, just nodded mutely.

Reining in his raging lust, Zoro willed himself to stay still – one of the hardest things he had to endure – and cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away a lone tear that lingered on her cheek. His lips lightly brushed her forehead, the tip of her nose, her cheeks, her eyelids, along her jaw, all the while mumbling sweet nothings against her skin, willing her to relax. When his large hand brushed against one of her sensitive nipples, Nami let out a gasp and felt a thrill of pleasure all the way down to her toes.

Encouraged by her response, Zoro pulled back slightly and pushed forward experimentally.

"Oh!" Nami moaned, her back arching in surprise and pleasure.

"That's it, Nami," encouraged Zoro as he pulled back and pushed a bit harder.

Nami opened her eyes staring up at Zoro's smoky grey ones. As he thrust forward a bit harder still, Nami let out a cry of pleasure, her hips leaving the floor as her body responded to Zoro's lovemaking.

With a grunt, Zoro grabbed Nami's hips shifting their position so that he could drive deeper into her at an angle. Nami wrapped her legs around Zoro's narrow hips in response.

"Nami…" groaned Zoro, feeling her inner walls flutter and squeeze whenever he pushed into her.

"Do you have any idea how good you feel?" asked Zoro in a harsh whisper, to which Nami only let out a loud moan as he drove deeper still into her.

The crow's nest soon filled with his low growls and groans of pleasure and her soft whimpers and cries in response. The room illuminated faintly in starlight that came in through the windows creating strange shadows upon the walls of the two lovers swaying back and forth, coming together again and again, in a most intimate dance.

When Nami came undone with a silent scream, it was the most beautiful thing he saw – almost divine, as if she was a goddess, her orange hair spread around her like fire, her skin flushed and glowing. Feeling her walls becoming impossibly tight in her orgasm, Zoro lost all semblance of control and thrust hard into her, his hands holding onto her hips so tightly that she would have additional bruises. Zoro groaned her name and he thrust one last time and came undone inside her. He slowed down and let go of her hips, falling forward towards her and bracing himself on his forearms before he crushed her with his weight. His forehead touched hers, both covered in thin sheen of sweat, his breath mingling with hers. Nami tilted her head, brushing her lips softly against his and he smiled into the sweet kiss. They stayed like that for a while, trying to calm their thumping hearts.

Zoro shifted, carefully pulling out of her which caused Nami to whimper at the sudden emptiness, and fell on his back next to her. He gathered her in his arms, enveloping her in his warm embrace. He brushed his lips against the shell of her ear as she burrowed into the crook of his neck. Zoro's hands traced lazy circles over her back while she molded herself to Zoro, closing the space between them completely.

"That was amazing," said Nami with a giggle.

"Witch, of course it was," replied Zoro, with a hint of amusement and self-assurance.

"Stupid swordsman…" mumbled Nami, unable to think of a proper response.

"Did it hurt?" asked Zoro after a few moments of tranquil silence.

"In the beginning, yeah… But it got better though," said Nami honestly.

"Mmm… I'm sorry," said Zoro, hugging her a bit tighter as if to make up for her pain.

"It's okay," Nami mumbled against his chest.

They let the silence blanket over them, entangled in each other's embrace. They didn't know how long they laid there but Nami could see the stars have faded into the twilight. The sky turned soft gray, the horizon tinged with the faintest glow of dawn. It was only when Nami began to shiver that Zoro let her go to grab a blanket from one of the cabinets in the room. He draped the blanket over her naked form and slipped behind her, spooning her from behind.

"I shouldn't fall asleep here, Zoro," Nami said sleepily, burrowing into his warmth. His arms wrapped themselves around her and for the first time since Bellemere-san died, Nami felt completely safe.

"'S okay… I'll wake you up," replied Zoro.

"Mmkay," Nami mumbled, letting sleep overtake her.

* * *

When they made love for the first time on that fateful night in the crow's nest, they thought they had all the time in the world to discover each other. They stole kisses here and there whenever they could without getting caught by the crew for the next few days until they arrived at Sabaody Archipelago. They didn't try making love again because Nami firmly refused to sneak away every night, insisting that Robin would become suspicious. Zoro relented but only after he had managed to reduce Nami into a boneless heap in the aquarium by kissing her senseless.

What they didn't know was that the tranquil peace, comfort, and warmth that they found in each other in the space between twilight and dawn would be the last for the next two years.

But here they were, three years after that starlit night in the crow's nest and one year after they had rediscovered each other, slowly yet frantically seeking the fill the loneliness of the past two years apart.

With a smile and happiness in her eyes, she looked on as her swordsman slept. The gray morning light streamed through her window, softening the harsh lines of Zoro's profile. When the dawn came, filling the room with bright sunlight and her heart with love and joy, Nami knew inexplicably and without a doubt that she would cross the most dangerous sea and battle the fiercest storms just to cherish this space between twilight and dawn with her green-haired, impossibly stubborn and intensely loyal swordsman.

* * *

Note: Please don't forget to review and let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is most welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: First, thank you to those who read the previous chapter and special thanks to those who were kind enough to leave encouraging reviews. I completed most of this chapter in three days after I published the first one but I couldn't come up with an ending, hence the late update. This chapter didn't turn out the way I envisioned but hey, that's the half the fun of writing. I hope you enjoy!

Warning: Contains adult themes.

Disclaimer: I do not own _One Piece_ or any of its characters, places, plots and other ideas. Such claim belongs to the one and only Eiichiro Oda.

 **The Space Between Rain and Sunshine**

Early summer rain fell lightly upon the dusty road of Shimotsuki Village, blanketing the world in a thin veil and muting its colors in a shade of grey. Docked at the only harbor of the island, the Thousand Sunny rocked gently upon the waves while its inhabitants had taken shelter inside the galley to wait for the return of their swordsman and navigator, ready to set sail towards their next destination.

When the Straw Hat pirates – now the proud crew of the Pirate King – found themselves back in East Blue after five years of adventure on the Grand Line, the first five members of the crew were overwhelmed with nostalgia for their hometowns. They decided to visit Foosha Village first where they spent the past three months partying and stirring up general havoc in a way that only Luffy can. But as much as Luffy loved his hometown and Makino's home cooked meals that brought back memories of his childhood, he was anxious to set sail again after three months of staying on the same island. It also didn't help that the Straw Hat pirates drank the village dry of all the alcohol and devoured all the meat. So the Pirate King ordered the crew to set sail, waving his straw hat cheerfully to the people of Foosha Village, promising to come back with more tales of their adventure.

Which brings the Straw Hat pirates to their current location – Shimotsuki Village where Zoro grew up. They spent the past month and a half visiting the Isshin Dojo where Zoro learned the art of swordsmanship.

The Straw Hat pirates were an instant hit at the dojo especially with the young disciples who had been practicing _santoryu_ since Zoro's bounty poster came out. Taking advantage of their hero worship, Usopp weaved tales of their adventure – spiced liberally with exaggerations and outright fiction – to his eager, wide-eyed audience much to his delight. Robin reveled in the long history of the village, often going off by herself to the nearby temples to talk with the monks and villagers. She always came back with a local legend or an interesting piece of information to share with the crew.

In the meantime, Sanji was overjoyed to discover many female students of Koshiro's _kenjutsu_ , who had wanted to keep Kuina's dream alive of becoming the world's greatest swordsman despite being a girl and welcomed female students with open arms. Now, though, for the first time Koshiro was regretting his decision just a tiny bit seeing how Sanji's constant noodling around the dojo was breaking his beloved students' concentrations. He shook his head and sighed, praying for strength to keep up with this rambunctious crew of fun-loving pirates.

As for Zoro, he spent most of his time with Koshiro or meditating by himself in the tranquility of the dojo. They talked about the goings-on in the village, the news around the Grand Line, the opponents he had fought – most recently Dracule Mihawk, a battle that lasted three days on Kuraigana Island from which Zoro came out victorious, bloodied and barely hanging on through sheer force of will but victorious nonetheless – and Kuina. Zoro thought it would be painful and awkward to talk about his dead childhood friend especially with the father of the aforementioned friend, but he was surprised to find comfort and peace to talk about Kuina to someone who remembered her as he had.

When Zoro told Nami about it that evening as they lay side by side on the _futon_ , she squeezed his hand and told him she was glad. He squeezed back and held on to her hand even as he fell into slumber, dreaming of a dark-haired girl grinning at him in the distance.

So when the time came to say goodbye to Shimotsuki Village and the dojo, Zoro asked Luffy to delay their departure for just another half a day so that he can visit Kuina's grave – a final goodbye to his childhood. Luffy who had always been intuitive about what is truly important, nodded his permission and told him to take his time. Zoro nodded his thanks and walked into the rain with Nami at his side. She had insisted on going with him, saying that there was a very high risk that he might get lost despite the fact that he grew up on this very island. In the background, he could hear the love-cook making threats, "Don't you dare get my precious Nami-san wet and cold in the rain, you shitty swordsman!" Zoro twitched in annoyance but Nami's small hand slid into his, reminding both him and the stupid curly brow that Nami was his and his only.

They walked away from the village and into the hills where Kuina's grave was situated. When they arrived, Nami placed a small bouquet of summer flowers at the base of her gravestone – a simple white stone engraved with her name. They stood side by side under the umbrella, their heads bowed in respectful silence and remembrance of her memory. After a few moments, Zoro handed Nami the umbrella and pulled Wado Ichimonji out of his haramaki. Without a word, he placed the white sword against her gravestone – the very sword that had earned him the title of the world's greatest swordsman.

"You're the greatest swords master in the world now, Kuina. You're the only one that I couldn't beat, remember? Thanks for Wado Ichimonji… And for giving me my dream," said Zoro quietly to the grave. "I'm giving it back to you now."

He placed his hand on the white gravestone, tracing her name one last time – the name of the young girl who never had a chance to grow up into a woman she could have been, the girl who had given him the determination to become the world's greatest.

"Goodbye," said Zoro quietly, his voice unwavering yet bittersweet.

He turned and looked at Nami standing at his shoulder, her eyes full with emotion. He took the umbrella from her hands and brushed his lips on her forehead, light and gentle as the rain falling about them.

Nami smiled up at him and said, "Come on, let's get back to the others."

They walked along the dusty road leading back to the village in companionable silence listening to the gentle _plip plop_ of raindrops hitting the umbrella over their heads. Zoro tugged Nami a bit closer to his side, pulling her further into the safety of the umbrella he was holding. She leaned into him, her left arm curling naturally into the crook of his arm. Zoro tilted the umbrella slightly to the right, making sure that Nami was better sheltered from the rain.

He inhaled deeply, the faint scent of Nami – a mix of fresh parchment and tangerines – and the pungent smell of early summer roses, the rain, and the earth… It was funny how he used to hate the rain. Now, it brought back memories of the day two years ago; the day Zoro whispered the three little words.

 _I love you_.

* * *

"Land ho!" exclaimed Usopp from the crow's nest. "An island straight ahead!"

It was late in the evening when Usopp first caught sight of land, rousing the crew from the sleepy lull that had fallen over the Sunny who were getting ready to retire for the night. Everyone spilled out onto the deck and looked towards a speck on the horizon that Usopp was pointing to. Nami looked at her wrist and surely enough, one of the log poses were pointing towards that very island.

"Franky, could you take the helm?" Nami called out to the cyborg. "Steer us 20 degrees to starboard!"

"Ow! You got it, Nami-sis! I'm feeling SUPERRRR tonight!" replied the cyborg with his usual flair, his electric blue hair standing out like a neon sign in the darkness as he ran towards the helm.

"Luffy, Zoro, Sanji-kun!" Nami called, but they had already taken their places ready to follow her directions.

"Yes, Nami-swan! I shall put my life on the line to do your bidding!" Sanji-kun yelled enthusiastically, his visible eye turning into a ridiculous heart.

Nami resisted the urge to roll her eyes; instead her eyes were naturally drawn to the swordsman. He was holding on to the ropes, his arms bulging with the effort to control the sails. When his eye caught hers across the deck, a ghost of a smirk crossing his lips before his brows furrowed in concentration, shifting his attention back to his task at hand.

Nami blushed unable to resist a flutter in her chest as she remembered their heated kiss just a few moments ago. They were hiding below deck in the sniper's workshop because they knew it was Usopp's watch, hence less risk of getting caught. Hands had begun to wander and clothes were starting to come off when they heard Usopp's yell above them. Her blush was not unnoticed by the ever-perceptive archeologist who cleared her throat lightly and said, "Nami, your instructions?"

"Huh?" Nami whirled around to face Robin who was looking at her with one eyebrow raised just slightly and a knowing smile. Nami flushed and instead of answering the older woman, walked towards Franky at the helm.

Because they were coming into harbor at night, it took them another two hours of carful navigation to dock safely. By the time Franky declared all was okay with the Sunny, the crew was tired and sleepy. The boys trooped into the men's dorm with the exception of Zoro and Franky who mumbled something about finishing up his blueprint that he was working on earlier that evening, disappearing below deck towards his workshop. Robin gave Nami a slight smile and whispered goodnight, brushing past Zoro and disappearing into the girls' room on the upper deck.

"So…" said Nami as Zoro walked across the grass towards her.

He quirked an eyebrow and replied, "So…"

"I should go to bed. I swear, Robin knows something," said Nami distractedly.

"Does it really matter?" asked Zoro, his arms around her and pulling her close. He inhaled deeply, burrowing his nose in her hair.

"Of course it matters, you idiot! Just think about what would happen if everyone else found out," Nami protested. She shuddered to think what the crew would think of her and Zoro's "relationship" although they never really clarified what they were. Neither one of them were really willing to talk about it. A life as a pirate is to live life on the edge of a blade – quite literally in Zoro's case – and they both knew what they were getting into.

Zoro sighed and let her go. "Yeah, yeah, I get it." He stepped away from her, already missing her scent, and scratched his head in frustration.

"Well… Goodnight," said Nami, giving him a swift and entirely too tame peck on the cheek. She rushed past him before he could grab her and give her a proper kiss because she knew she wouldn't be able to get away if he succeeded. The memory of their passionate kiss earlier that evening was still too fresh in her mind to deny him – and her own body – the pleasure they were both craving.

Nami shook her head to clear her thoughts and headed to the girls' room, knowing that they both won't be sleeping very well that night.

Zoro woke up the next morning with an undignified yelp when the idiot cook tipped his swaying bunk, dumping him unceremoniously on the floor of the men's dorm.

"Aargh! You fucking asshole! What did you do that for?" Zoro growled, jumping to his feet and drawing Wado Ichimonji out of its white sheath.

"Breakfast, you shitty marimo. As much as I hate you, I still have to feed you, you lazy ass," drawled the cook, through the haze of cigarette smoke.

With a snarl, he slashed at the curly brow. He had tossed and turned all night, too wired to sleep and ended up doing five thousand pushups instead. To say that he was royally pissed was an understatement.

"What has gotten into you? You're shittier than usual," smirked Sanji as he easily blocked Zoro's attack with the sole of his left shoe.

"Shut up, curly brow," said Zoro through his clenched teeth. He brought his sword in a graceful arc to slash at the cook's left shoulder, which Sanji merely sidestepped and aimed a kick at Zoro's stomach.

Before Sanji's kick could land, both Zoro and Sanji stumbled as they each felt a solid punch on their heads.

"Oww! That hurts, you witch!" said Zoro as he rubbed the small bump beginning to form where she had punched him.

"Nami-swan, you touch of love never ceases to knock me off my feet. Oh, mellorine, my love!" cried the ero-cook in his singsong voice.

 _My love?_ A vein in Zoro's forehead throbbed. He clenched his fist, seconds away from pummeling the cook with his bare hands. Who did he think he was, calling _his_ woman _my love_?

"Sanji-kun, could you serve breakfast already? Luffy's trying to make orange juice by himself… with the blender," said Nami with a significant look, ignoring the cook's declaration of undying devotion.

"That shitty _gomu_ … If he touches anything, I'll stretch him from helm to stern," said Sanji, returning to his senses as he rushed out of the room.

Zoro who was still glaring at Sanji's retreating back didn't notice the other occupant in the room until Nami wrapped her arms around his middle from behind.

"Good morning," mumbled Nami into his back.

Zoro felt his anger and frustration leave him, his hands unclenching and his tense muscles relaxing in her arms. He grunted in reply, turning around so that he could look at her.

Nami smiled sweetly up at him and asked, "Did you sleep well?"

"What do you think?" Zoro asked back sarcastically.

"Hmm… Me neither," said Nami as she placed her head under his chin. They stayed like that for a short while, just enjoying each other's embrace, until they heard a crash, Usopp and Chopper's panicked screams, Brook's _Yohoho_ 's bouncing around the walls of the galley, and a string of strong expletives that could only come from Sanji's mouth.

With a sigh, Nami pulled away from Zoro's arms and said, "Let's go have breakfast."

Zoro groaned but followed her out of the room, not quite ready to face the day as a pirate especially in a crew like this one.

Thankfully, breakfast continued without much trouble from then on (if you don't count Chopper suddenly changing into his human form when he realized Luffy had stolen all of his pancakes with extra maple syrup which caught Franky by surprise who stood up quickly from his stool to avoid getting squished by Chopper, in the process of which the bottle of cola in Franky's hand slipped and fell on Sanji's head who let out a furious roar and kicked Luffy into the wall – but something like this is relatively tame for the Straw Hat pirates).

As Sanji cleared away the dishes, biting furiously on his cigarette to calm his frazzled nerves, Nami grabbed her cup of morning tea and stepped outside. The others had already left the table in a hurry to avoid getting more kicks thrown their way from the irritable cook.

From the weather patterns that she observed the night before, Nami had already deduced that they were docked at a spring island. When she saw the island covered in pink, yellow and green as she leaned over the railing to get a clear look, the vibrant colors of spring confirmed her prediction.

With Luffy and Usopp, Nami disembarked the Sunny and quickly went into the nearest building – which happened to be a small restaurant for fishermen who came and went through the harbor – to gather information about the island.

The island itself was not very big with just one village. Because it was so small, they didn't often get visitors from the outside, which made their visit an exciting event for the locals since it gave them a chance to hear the news about other islands in the New World. When Nami asked about the log pose, the owner said it takes only a day to set but he hopes that the pirates will stay longer to give the villagers something to talk about. Nami smiled and said thanks, calling Luffy and Usopp who were gawking at a carcass of a giant sea king on display. She grabbed them by their arms and dragged them back to the ship while they complained and called her a meanie. It was only when she gave them a good whack on the head that they followed her obediently back to the Sunny.

Aboard the ship, Nami told the rest of the crew about the things she had heard about the island and turned towards her captain.

"So what do you want to do, Luffy?" asked Nami.

"Yosh! I'm going to go back and look at the super cool giant sea king! I wonder if they have sea king meat…" said Luffy with his finger stuck up his nose, already drooling at the thought of eating that much meat.

"Me too, me too!" said Usopp and Chopper.

"Bones, you say? A kindred spirit? Yohohohoho," said Brook.

Nami shook her head and said, "Okay, we'll take the rest of the day until dinner to look around the island. The log pose should set by then and we'll be on our way. Sound good, captain?" asked Nami.

But Luffy had already bolted over the railing with Usopp, Chopper, and Brook trailing behind him.

"I think that was a yes," said Robin with a smile.

Nami sighed in defeat and turned to Robin, "Do you want to do some shopping, Robin?"

"Actually, I'm going to stay on the Sunny. Franky said something about making some upgrades and adjustments to the library, and I just want to make sure that he…ah… doesn't blow up anything," said Robin.

"Besides, I think Zoro-san would be more than willing to accompany you, don't you think?" asked Robin, dropping her voice as she nodded towards Zoro who had just emerged from the dorms after changing for the day.

Without waiting for her response, Robin went below deck to look for Franky giving her a wave and a small smile as she walked past her.

Nami huffed. Really, what was with everyone just leaving in the middle of the conversation? But her irritation was short lived as she pondered on the implications of being on a strange island alone with Zoro. Just the two of them.

With a grin, she headed into her room to change into a simple sundress, tying her hair in a ponytail that she knew Zoro liked. She rushed back to the deck to find that Zoro was already waiting for her.

"Come on," said Zoro, jerking his head towards the direction of the island.

As she got closer to Zoro, he simply picked her up in his arm and jumped from the railing. He let her go but grabbed her hand when they landed, running full speed down the docks towards the village.

"Zoro, wait!" Nami panted from behind him. "Why are we running? Slow down damn it, you stupid swordsman!"

"Shut up, witch. I just wanted to get away before that ero-cook comes out the galley and starts asking questions," said Zoro, slowing down to a walk.

Nami glared at him, her ponytail falling out the hair tie. She panted heavily and braced her hands on her knees, gasping for breath.

"You run too fast," said Nami between pants.

"You're just slow," Zoro retorted, for which Nami pinched his arm.

"Ow! Ow! Okay, okay stop pinching me!" said Zoro, holding her hands between them so that she couldn't pinch him. Zoro smirked down at her, taking in her messy hair, her flushed cheeks, and her heavy breathing that made her breasts swell under her dress. She would kill him if she knew Zoro secretly loved getting a rise out of her.

Zoro leaned down to capture her lips in a swift kiss and grabbed her hand, pulling her down the road towards the village.

"Zoro, stop! You're going the wrong way," Nami tugged at his hand and changed directions. "What are you going to do without me?" sighed Nami, as she took the lead.

"Tsk. I don't get lost," said Zoro stubbornly.

"Yeah, okay. Whatever you say," said Nami sarcastically with a hint of fondness in her voice.

Zoro opened his mouth to argue but shut his mouth with a snap when they crested the hill and looked down into the village.

"Oh, wow! Look, it's so pretty!" exclaimed Nami, her eyes bright with excitement.

They were standing on top a hill leading down into a quaint little village. The hill was covered in green grass – the shade of green that you can only see in spring, the shade of green that reminds you of life and youth – dotted with wildflowers of all shapes and sizes.

Zoro looked at Nami who had a huge smile on her face and ran towards the nearest patch of flowers. He followed at a more leisurely pace, smiling at her child-like excitement. He looked on as she knelt down to gather the wildflowers about her into a little bouquet, and his heart twisted a little to see such a pretty picture that she made. With a playful growl, he tackled her into the ground rolling over so that she wouldn't be crushed under his weight. She giggled as the flowers she had been gathering flew into the air and fell about them, her hair falling out completely out of the ponytail, framing her face. She leaned down to kiss him, her hands fisting in his shirt while his hand cupped her face and held her close.

She pulled away and smiled down at him, falling on her back next to him with her arms spread wide.

"Mmm! This is exactly what I needed: a vacation," said Nami, her joy apparent in her voice.

Zoro picked a flower – a daisy – and stuck it in her hair, leaning over her to kiss the tip of her nose. He pulled back to lie flat on his back beside Nami, pillowing his head on his hand. He closed his eye against the sun while she scooted closer to him. He let out a contented sigh, the smell of flowers and Nami enticing him to sleep.

Nami glanced at the swordsman at her side who looked a little out of place amidst the vibrant colors of spring. Her eyes followed the easy confidence in the lines around his mouth, his strong jaws and proud nose, moving up towards his eyes.

Or rather, his eye.

More specifically, that long slash running vertically through his left eye. And it was this fact that had been bothering Nami for over a year since the Straw Hat pirates' reunion. But it was also something that she could never pry into – no matter what her relationship status with the swordsman – because she knew losing his left eye must have been the price he had to pay to become stronger for Luffy, the crew, and his dream. To Zoro, there is no need for explanations.

But for Nami, looking into one steely grey eye instead of two every time they kissed, argued, or made love, was a constant reminder of the danger Zoro was facing. Her imaginations ran wild, her mind replaying the image of Zoro at Thriller Bark standing in the pool of his own blood or at Sabaody Archipelago when he was just seconds away from being killed by Kizaru.

In short, she was worried and scared as hell that the next adventure was going to his last. And she didn't know if she could move on knowing that she could never see him again, feel his warmth and intensity.

"Hey, Zoro," said Nami quietly.

"Hmm?" he replied.

"Do you ever wonder if… if we'll all achieve what we set out to do?"

Zoro cracked his eye open and turned his head to look at her. She was lying on her side, her fingers idly playing with a bright purple pansy while her eyes locked onto his.

Zoro grunted and looked up at the sky. "Of course we will," he said with utmost confidence.

"But how do you know? How do you know that Luffy with become the Pirate King or that Sanji-kun will find All Blue? As a navigator who knows a lot of ocean currents, All Blue is technically impossible. Did you know that? What about True History?" she asked a little frantically. "And you! What about you? How do you know you'll beat Mihawk? He nearly killed you the first time you fought him, and what if you get another slash like that or lose another eye?" her wide eyes zeroing on the scar across his torso and the slash running down his left eye. "What if… what if…" Nami stumbled on her words, belying her anxiety.

As she ranted, she didn't realize that Zoro had sat up and turned to face her.

"Nami, stop," said Zoro in his first-mate voice that held such strength and demanded obedience.

Her anxiety turning into anger, Nami also sat up, her eyes flashing. "Don't tell me what to do," she said tightly, her whole body tense with anger.

"Then stop worrying. Trust me and trust Luffy and all the others," said Zoro.

"Damn it, Zoro! I do trust you and of course, I trust Luffy! I wouldn't be here if I didn't. But this is not about trust! There is simply no guarantee that any of this is going to come true!" cried Nami, her eyes brimming with tears that she stubbornly refused to let fall.

"This _is_ about trust," Zoro argued back. "Your trust in me and my strength is what's going to bring me back alive because I don't break promises and you know it," he said simply. "And only I can be the judge of that. So stop worrying," his voice softening as he reached out for her. Nami let him pull her into his arms, still refusing to believe him.

"Do you trust me?" asked Zoro, whispering into her ear.

Nami nodded into his shirt stiffly. Zoro grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back, looking into her chocolate brown eyes. _She's scared for me_ , he realized. He asked again, willing his one visible eye to communicate all the emotions he was feeling, "Do you trust me?"

"Yes," said Nami unhesitatingly, the fear in her eyes now warring with grim determination, devotion, and loyalty.

Instead of responding to her in words, Zoro simply pulled her into his lap and kissed her passionately, pouring his promise into the kiss. Nami responded with equal fervor, kissing him back with her despair and hope on her lips. The intensity of the their kiss – the meaning behind everything they said and couldn't say – made Nami's heart ache and she pulled Zoro even closer with a whimper.

Zoro pushed her back so that she was lying on her back, their lips still locked in a heated kiss. He trailed his hand down her body, lightly brushing the swell of her breasts before running his hand up and down her arms, her shoulders and her hair. When Zoro finally made his way back to her breasts and squeezed gently, Nami let out a soft moan tearing her lips away from his.

In the process, she snapped her eyes open looking up at the sky.

 _Oh, shit_.

"Zoro…" said Nami, her hands pushing at his shoulders.

"Hmm?" said Zoro, licking the shell of her ear and dragging his lips across her cheeks to seek her lips again.

"Zoro, stop," said Nami, trying to sit up. "We've got to get out here. Come on, get up!" she urged him, sitting up more fully when Zoro sprang to his feet hearing the alarm in her voice.

It was only then that Zoro saw the foreboding clouds that formed over their heads.

"Hey, are those…?" asked Zoro, already knowing the answer.

"Shit, I can't believe I didn't notice the change in the air pressure," said Nami, distractedly trying to brush out her hair and pulling it back into a quick ponytail. "This is all your fault! Your debt just went up by 200%" she said accusingly.

"Fine, whatever. Let's get out of here before it starts pouring," said Zoro uncaringly, looking up at the sky again with a frown. Nami followed his gaze and groaned. The rain clouds came upon them at an alarming rate, and it looked as if they were already too late to avoid it.

"Let's take shelter in the village. It's closer," said Nami and began running down the hill. Before she had taken more than ten steps, she felt one then two drops on her arms and before she knew it, she was soaked to the skin in the pouring rain. She brushed her wet bangs out of her face as she neared the base of the hill with Zoro at her side.

"There!" Nami yelled over the sound of rain, pointing to a small house with a big chrysanthemum tree just outside the village.

Nami felt rather than saw Zoro nodding and rushed towards the tree. Zoro slid to a stop beside her a second after, shaking raindrops from his hair with his hand.

"So what do we do?" asked Zoro.

"This rain probably won't let up until later in the afternoon. It's just past noon so probably in about three or four hours," replied Nami.

"We should go somewhere dry then," said Zoro, eying Nami who was already beginning to get goose bumps on her arms. It was still chilly in the rain despite the it being a spring island.

"Yeah, okay," she said absently as she continued to watch the clouds.

Zoro grabbed her hand and ran across the small entrance area towards the inner sanctum of the house. He quickly slid open the doors and pushed Nami inside first, closing the doors behind him quickly.

"Hello?" called Nami. "Is anyone home?"

Zoro glanced around at the sparsely furnished room and the dust that was beginning to settle. "I don't think anyone lives here," he said quietly, his suspicions confirmed when he used Haki to see if he could sense other beings in the house.

"Oh…" said Nami, now beginning to shiver in earnest. "Well, if there is no one here, I don't see why we can't stay here for a few hours," she said, pulling her feet out of her sandals and stepping into the house.

Zoro agreed and followed suit. The front room had three doors that led to three different rooms. The three rooms also had other doors that led into different parts of the house. In the end, they chose the room towards the back of the house that led into the backyard so that Nami could keep an eye on the weather. Thankfully, the owners of the house had left behind most of meager their belongings and Nami soon discovered some dry blankets towels in the closet.

"Oi! Come here for a sec!" yelled Zoro from somewhere in the house.

"Did you get lost again?" Nami called back teasingly but somewhat serious – Zoro getting lost in a straight line was a real possibility after all.

"No, you witch! Look what I found," said Zoro as Nami came into view.

It was a bathroom with a huge round tub in the middle along with a shower in the corner.

"Come on, we should get warm," said Zoro turning on the shower. Zoro carefully placed his swords against the wall and peeled off his clothes. Nami quickly followed and stepped under the warm spray of water.

"Mmm… This feels so much better," said Nami, sighing in relief as warm water ran down her back.

"Come here," said Zoro, pulling her towards him. Now that he was warm, his body was remembering exactly what they were doing before they got caught in the rain.

Her naked skin met his, her full breasts crushed against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck while he wrapped her in his arms.

"So where were we?" whispered Nami, looking up at him with a grin.

"Just about here," mumbled Zoro as his lips descended on her neck. She let out a happy sigh as she tightened her arms around his neck, pushing her body further into his. Already frustrated by the events of the night before and earlier that afternoon, Zoro was in no mood to take it slow. He slid down her body, his lips kissing and licking down her breasts towards her navel. He nipped at her flat stomach, his arms coming around to rest on her bottom and the back of her thighs.

Zoro kneeled in front of her, which placed her sex right in front of his face, and nudged her legs apart. She was already wet, which only served to arouse him further, groaning when he smelled the musky scent of her sex. Without preamble, he licked her sex from bottom to top.

Nami threw her head back in surprise and pleasure, biting her lips to keep from crying out loud.

"Nami, don't hold back," commanded Zoro looking up at her.

"Huh?" she asked in a daze.

"There is no one here who can hear us," said Zoro, "So scream." With that, his tongue found the tiny bundle of nerves at the top of her entrance, brushing against it at a rapid pace.

And Nami screamed, her hands fisting into his hair.

Zoro's tongue danced and teased, making her dizzy with sensations. She moaned his name over and over again, trying to seek release. When Zoro slid his finger into her, Nami arched her back and moaned, "Zoro, please… I need…."

Zoro growled in response and added two more fingers, thrusting into her deeply. He went faster and deeper while his tongue kept teasing her, driving her headlong into bliss.

With a scream, her inner walls clenched and unclenched rapidly around his fingers. He kept fingering her as she rode out her orgasm, slowing down as he she came from her high.

Before Nami had a chance to recover, Zoro pulled out his fingers and stood up, catching her in his arms as she swayed towards him, boneless after such an orgasm. He caught her lips in a heated kiss, his hands everywhere at once and trailing fire in their wake. Nami moaned weakly into the kiss, her sensitive skin tingling.

Zoro pulled back from the kiss and pushed her against the wall, her arms holding tight on to him around his broad shoulders. He kneed her legs apart, his arms coming around to cup her bottom, and Nami wrapped her right leg around his hips.

Zoro looked into her eyes, hazy with desire, as he thrust roughly into her. She cried out at the sudden intrusion, squeezing her eyes shut.

"That's it, Nami. Scream for me. Don't hold back," groaned Zoro.

This was not the gentle love making that Nami was used to. Most of the time, they were always in danger of being caught so they had to be quiet, no more than a moan here or there and definitely no screaming. Plus, Zoro – no doubt a very passionate lover – had always treated her delicately despite his gruff appearance.

But this was something else entirely.

It almost felt as if he was trying to leave an imprint on her body and soul, his thrusts wild and frantic, and his intensity threatening to engulf her in never ending fire. She realized somewhere in the back of her mind that Zoro was trying to reassure her, to ease her fear for him from their argument earlier that afternoon. So Nami matched his thrusts with hers and his intensity with her passion. Their breaths mingled, the steam in the shower making their skin dewing on their naked skin.

Soon, Nami felt the telltale signs of her climax, her lower belly tightening and her inner walls fluttering in anticipation. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing it to come.

"Look at me," growled Zoro, panting harshly and looking down at her. "I want to see you when you come."

She snapped her eyes open and looked into the smoky grey eye of her lover.

"Zoro… I… Oh, god…"

"Come for me, Nami," his voice carrying the same commanding tone of the first mate of Straw Hat Pirates, and she could no more disobey him as her lover than disobey her commanding officer. Her world exploded into thousands of pieces as she climaxed, screaming his name into the air.

Zoro watched her as she clenched almost painfully around him, and the image of Nami at that moment was forever burned in his mind: her back arching off the wall, the wild look in her eyes with lust and passion as she came hard around him, drops of water clinging to her flushed body. It was only for a moment but it felt like forever to Zoro.

As Nami came down from her high, Zoro was nearing his own release. He thrust hard into her once, twice, three times, and with his own loud groan of her name, came within her. He bucked into her, emptying his release inside her, slowly down only when his legs felt like jelly. He let his head fall to her shoulders as they both panted harshly, trying to get their breathing under control.

When Nami shivered after some time, Zoro slowly pulled out of her and Nami let her leg fall back to the ground. Zoro quickly gathered her in his arms, stepping more fully into the stray of hot water. He brushed her wet hair out of her eyes and kissed her softly. "You're amazing, you know that?"

She grinned and replied cheekily, "You're not so bad yourself."

He chuckled and said playfully, "Come on, you witch, let's get you cleaned up."

They quickly rinsed themselves off thoroughly since there was no soap. Zoro turned off the shower while Nami grabbed the towels that she brought from the other room. They dried off quickly and headed back towards the room they discovered earlier.

Zoro brought their wet cloths, wrung them out and laid them out to dry while Nami gathered the blankets and sat in front of the opened _shoji_ doors leading to the backyard. She wrapped a blanket around herself and pulled her knees to her chest, looking out into the rain.

"It doesn't seem like it's letting up at all," said Nami. "I hope the others are okay."

"It's just a bit of rain. They'll be fine," replied Zoro, coming to sit beside her. Nami opened her arms so that Zoro can share her blanket.

"That's true," said Nami, leaning her head against his shoulder.

They continued to watch the rain in silence. The sound of the rain on the window pane, the tiled roof, and the ground below… the smell of wet earth and the grass… the warmth radiating from their bodies wrapped in a blanket… her soft skin against his…

The serenity of this moment filled his heart, which felt so full that he thought it might burst. He glanced sideways at the orange haired woman, taking in the small smile around her lips, the way her hair curled at the base of her neck, the feeling of her small hand clutched in his rougher, calloused hand.

That's when he knew – amidst the gentle sound of rain that seemed to separate them and the world – that he loves her, and that he has loved her for quite some time now. Inexplicably and completely. Without reason and for all reasons. And always will.

He has never known what it felt like to love someone before. He was loyal to his captain and cared about the crew like they were his own flesh and blood, but the way he felt about Nami was different. It wasn't just sex – it had never been just about sex from the beginning – but it was the way she challenged him, made him smile (only in Nami's presence of course), and made him feel more things than just anger, regret, and frustration. It was the way her warm brown eyes softened when she looked at him, the way she flushed red in the heat of an argument or in the throes of their lovemaking, the way she shone brilliantly as she battled storms and outwitted strange currents and weather patterns of the Grand Line. He had always been in tune with his feelings and surroundings – a result of his meditations and training – and he was never the one to lie, especially to himself.

And he instinctively knew that she felt the same for him, making his heart swell in pride as well as humility, and a fierce determination to protect – to protect her, their love, and their time together in this life.

"Nami," said Zoro quietly, his voice barely audible above the sound of the falling rain.

"Hmm?"

Zoro leaned into her sideways, willing her to look at him. She turned her head and her warm brown eyes met his. Zoro smiled and tucked an errant strand of her hair behind her ear. Then, he slid his large hand to hold her head at the base of her neck, tilting her face towards his and his thumb coming to brush her pulse.

"I love you."

The three little words hung in the space between them, separated by mere centimeters. Rain continued to fall, its tinkling music the only sound that filled the world. Nami looked surprised at his sudden confession, but her own eyes have already betrayed what she truly felt.

"I know. And I love you too," whispered Nami, her words crossing the space between them.

"I love you," said Zoro one more time before he claimed her lips in a kiss. It was soft and sweet, full of promise and hope, full of love and joy that they have found in each other.

When they made love this time, it was unlike the impassioned love making in the shower. This time, Zoro swallowed all of her moans in his kisses almost as if he didn't want to break the silence. They moved slowly, languidly; her eyes on his, his large hands holding her smaller ones by her head, their hearts beating as one.

Time and space ceased to exist. Only the rain and their bodies coming together again and again; the million sensations flitting across their skin and the thousands of words unsaid but understood as they looked into each other's eyes; these were the things that were real.

When she climaxed, she came undone with a whimper, _I love you_. He came with a ghost of a whisper, her name on his lips.

Afterwards they lay in a tangle of limbs and blanket, and only the sound of rain and their breathing filling the room. Zoro pulled her close; his right arm wrapped around her shoulders and brushed a kiss across her sweaty forehead. Nami let out a sigh and shifted closer, placing her hand over his heart and feeling it beat strongly under her hand.

Zoro covered her hand in his own.

"I'll always fight like hell to get back to you, Nami. I promise," his hand tightening around hers. Nami nodded in response, a tear running down her cheek and onto his chest. For her, that was good enough. After all, Zoro didn't break his promises.

As the sound of the rain lulled them to sleep, Zoro promised to himself once again, _I will always come back to you_.

* * *

And he did always come back to her. Not always whole but alive, his heart beating steadily under her palms, as she pressed her hand to his chest anxiously after battles. When they whispered _I love you_ that spring day in the rain, they both understood that Zoro would continue to fight dangerous battles, and Nami would never get in his way to become the greatest swordsman in the world. But they also understood that Zoro's life was not his own anymore. His life was now hers just as much as her life was his, their lives and fate intertwined. So he became stronger, less reckless, more calculating and more protective than ever, pushing himself to the limit until Luffy became the Pirate King and his first mate the greatest swordsman in the world.

Now, amidst the early summer rain and the smell of wet earth and roses, Zoro and Nami walked back towards their crew mates – their family. Zoro pulled Nami a bit closer to his side, not noticing that his shoulder was getting wet. She looked up and smiled at him, her warm chocolate eyes twinkling and her long hair curling around her shoulders. He stopped her with a gentle pull of her hand in his.

Zoro turned to face her and cupped Nami's face in his unoccupied hand, his thumb unerringly finding her pulse just as he had that spring day. His grey eye found hers, speaking thousands of words in his heart.

"I love you," said Zoro simply – unable to convey everything he was feeling besides these three words – as he kissed her, standing under the umbrella engulfed in the smell of rain and wet earth and early summer roses. Nami sighed into the kiss and wrapped her arms around him.

As he pulled away from the kiss and grabbed her hand in his, he thought to himself how ironic it was that he came to love the rain. Perhaps it was the space between rain and sunshine – the adventure of finding himself in someone he loved who brought him from darkness of his soul to the brightness and warmth of her love – that made him appreciate the gentle pitter patter of rain.

A/N: This chapter is just shamelessly fluffy. Please leave me reviews and tell me what you think. Once again, thank you for reading! I have the rough drafts for the next two chapters so hopefully I can update them a little faster.


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